TEHRAN – A unique natural attraction, Daniel Cave in the west of the northern Mazandaran province is one of Iran’s impressive geotourism attractions.

The water cave is one of the most visited natural attractions in the region, especially during the Noruz holidays.

Located five kilometers south of Salmanshahr, the property features two bat halls, needle-shaped stalactites, a fixed temperature throughout the year, and drinkable water.

The cave is situated at the intersection of two faults that come from different geological eras.

A long and narrow corridor with a width of about five meters runs through the cave, passing through tight corridors and small ponds along the way.

A beautiful roof combined with calcareous fields, rivers, and landscapes in this cave makes it comparable to Hamedan’s Alisadr cave.

There has not been any determination of the end of the cave, but spelunkers estimate its length to be 6,000 meters. Most spelunkers have been able to travel up to about three kilometers deep.

As well as the water flowing inside the cave, its roof, in the natural and beautiful scenery, double its attractions. The cool and pleasant air, especially during the summer months, makes the cave very pleasant to stay in for a long period.

There is enough room for four boats to move together in the cave based on its width and water.

Exploring a cave may not be on the “to-do list” of travelers in Iran. However, Karaftu, Ali-Sadr and Quri Qaleh, and Katale-Khor are among the most visited caves.

Iran is geologically a part of the Alpine-Himalayan organic belt. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the enigmatic evidence of human presence on the Iranian plateau is as early as the Lower Paleolithic times.

The first well-documented evidence of human habitation is in deposits from several excavated cave and rock-shelter sites, located mainly in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran and dated to Middle Paleolithic or Mousterian times (c. 100,000 BC).

Soaked in a vibrant history, Mazandaran (also known as Tabarestan) was a cradle of civilization since the beginning of the first millennium BC. According to Britannica Encyclopedia, it was almost overrun in about 720 CE by the Arab raiders.

Its insecure eastern and southeastern borders were crossed by Mongol invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Cossacks attacked the region in 1668 but were repulsed. It was ceded to the Russian Empire by a treaty in 1723, but the Russians were never secure in their occupation. The area was restored to Iran under the Qajar dynasty. The northern section of the region consists of a lowland alongside the Caspian and an upland along the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains.

ABU/AM